Lexus announces new chief executive

Lexus Australia today announced the appointment of Scott Thompson as its new chief executive.

Mr Thompson, 45, has returned to Australia after a two-year assignment as a senior executive with Toyota and Lexus in the United States.

From early 2016, he was general manager of marketing for Toyota Motor Sales USA and was responsible for development of Toyota's first ever global marketing campaign to support the company's Olympic and Paralympic partnerships.

Mr Thompson, who spent the past six months working with Lexus in the United States, paid tribute to his predecessor Peter McGregor.

He said they had worked closely over the past 12 months to ensure a smooth transition.

"Peter's leadership over two years supplemented by his extensive automotive experience have enabled the Lexus team to establish firm foundations for a healthy future," Mr Thompson said.

"During his tenure, Lexus Australia advanced its sales and brand image due largely to an unrelenting focus on customer experience, which is recognised as the best in the luxury-vehicle sector," he said.

"Our Australian dealer network is poised to build on this strong sales momentum, supported by stunning new models from our parent company and the opening of new dealerships in growth corridors."

Lexus Australia delivered a record 9,027 sales in 2016 and a near-record total of 8,800 passenger cars and SUVs in 2017.

Mr Thompson, a first-class cricket all-rounder with the NSW Blues in the second half of the 1990s, began his career in marketing with Pacific Dunlop's golf and cricket brands before joining Toyota Australia in 2003.

Over the five years prior to his stint in the U.S., he applied his business skills, creativity and strategic thinking to leadership of the marketing and then the sales divisions of Toyota Australia.